With urgent need for blood donations across New York City, the FDNY and NYPD kick off summerlong blood drive competition

June 24, 2025

The FDNY and the NYPD officially kicked off a summerlong blood drive competition on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at FDNY Headquarters in Brooklyn, with the goal of generating awareness of the need for blood during critical summer months.

The competition runs from June 23 to July 20 at all FDNY- and NYPD-sponsored blood drives, New York Blood Center donor centers, and other community blood drives. The agency with the highest combined results at the end of the competition will receive a reward from NYBC. All participating donors will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a $500 e-gift card.

"There is a critical shortage of blood right now, and the FDNY and the NYPD are here to help. That's what we do every day, and today is no different," FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker said. "We compete all the time on sports fields, but we work hand in glove in the streets to protect the public, and this is just another way that we can help with public safety."

NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said: "What we are competing for here today is not a trophy—it's something far more important. It's a cause, and it's about making sure that when someone in New York City needs blood, there's enough of it on the shelves to save their lives. Every summer, hospitals see a rise in trauma cases and a drop in donations. That's a gap we can't afford, and that's why we're all in this effort together."

On June 2, the New York Blood Center declared a blood emergency following a sharp and sustained drop in blood donations in New York and New Jersey.

Yadira Navarro, Director of Community and Stakeholder Relations at the New York Blood Center, added: "We're so very proud to partner with the FDNY and NYPD on this lifesaving campaign that, in the end regardless of the winner, will save countless lives this summer. You may not know that more than 60% of the population is eligible to donate blood, but only 3% actually do. ... We need you now more than ever."

FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker donates blood shortly after the competition with the NYPD got underway.